SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Endicott men's basketball team pulled away from Western New England with less than five minutes remaining in the contest (4:13, 78-78) via a 14-7 run to lock up an eventual 92-85 conference victory on Tuesday night at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.
Keith Brown (Pelham, N.H.) guided the Gulls late in the matchup with five points during the final moments of the game to finish with a game-high 43 total points on 15-of-22 shooting from the field (7-for-11 3PT, 6-8 FT). Vinny Clifford (Danvers, Mass.), Rob O'Brien (Rindge, N.H.), and Joel Villa (Bronx, N.Y.) also contributed baskets during the run with Villa's being the dagger – a jumper to make it 89-85 – with 11-seconds to play.
Joe Shehadi (Dorset, Vt.) rounded out the scoring in the 14-7 run with three free throws down the stretch.
Tonight's matchup featured nine ties and 10 lead changes before all was said and done.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Endicott is 14-6 all-time against Western New England.
- Tonight's win also completed the regular season series sweep for the Gulls (W, 69-59, 1/9/18 | W, 92-85, 1/30/18).
- O'Brien paced the team with a career-high 11 rebounds in addition to his six points.
- Endicott is 8-3 on the road this season.
FOR THE FOES
- Mikey Pettway (Bridgeport, Conn.) nearly posted a triple-double on 23 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists.
- EJ Day (Norwalk, Conn.) added 21 points, while Zach Tavitian (Milford, Conn.) had 16 points, six boards, four assists, two blocks, and a pair of steals.
- Mike McGuire (Garden City, N.Y.) and Alex Sikorski (Rocky Hill, Conn.) rounded out the list of highlights with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (14-6, 9-4 CCC) hosts Eastern Nazarene this Saturday at 3 PM. Western New England (8-11, 5-8 CCC) welcomes Dean College to its campus on Thursday, February 1 at 7 PM.
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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)